


I've Got These Feelings

by miraculousstorytelling



Series: Klance Week 2k16 [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Baggage, M/M, Sappy, feelings so many feelings, keith is in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-09 12:09:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7801333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousstorytelling/pseuds/miraculousstorytelling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith laments the fact that he actually seems to like Lance, so he handles it the best way he possibly can. Training and pretending he still hates Lance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Got These Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 3 of Klance week. The prompt was Heaven/Hell.  
> Also posted on tumblr under mysteryfics.

Just being around Lance was hell. Keith tried to ignore him, but it was like trying to ignore the sun shining in his eyes in mid-summer. Keith tried to avoid him, only to find that the castle clearly wasn't big enough to accommodate that. Keith tried to pretend he hated him, but no one, least of all Keith, seemed to buy that.

So, instead Keith trained. And trained and trained and trained. He trained so much he felt like his arms and legs would fall off. He practically lived in the training room. Shiro joined him often enough that Keith started to notice his concern. It reached the point where Keith only took a break if Shiro half-suggested, half-ordered him to.

Then, he'd retreat to his room and stare at the ceiling. He'd count the reasons why he shouldn't care for Lance. He even had a mental list.

  1. Terrible pilot
  2. Really annoying
  3. Can't shut up
  4. Flirts with every girl they meet
  5. Can't sit still
  6. Seriously, has the guy heard of personal space?
  7. Brags constantly
  8. Turns everything into an argument
  9. Honestly, just so annoying (counted twice because once didn't cover it)
  10. There was no way it would end well
  11. Pretty sure he has a crush on Allura
  12. Also pretty sure he isn't into guys
  13. Certain rejection



The last one was the most compelling reason of them all. Not only would the rejection hurt, but also he had no idea how it would affect the team. Voltron was more important than his stupid feelings, Keith was sure. If only his heart would get that memo.

He sighed. Shiro was probably back in his room now. Maybe he wouldn't notice if Keith went back to training. He tried to sit up and grunted when his leaden muscles protested. On second thought, a little rest might do him some good.

He must have drifted off to sleep at some point, because he was jolted awake by a pounding on his door, "Keith!"

Keith winced, hating how his pulse sped up at just the sound of that voice.

"It's time for dinner, supermullet," Lance shouted, pounding again for good measure.

Keith rolled his eyes as he stood and angrily tugged on his jacket, "Yeah, I heard you, idiot."

"Hey, don't snap at me just cause I interrupted your beauty sleep."

Keith stepped out with a glare, "Says the guy who spends hours on his skincare routine."

"The results are worth it, don't you think?" Lance angled his face just so, and Keith could swear he was actually glowing.

Keith stormed off so Lance wouldn't see him blush.

 

After dinner, Keith headed straight for the training room. He needed to clear his head after listening to Lance bragging about everything in the universe throughout the entire meal. He gripped his bayard, feeling it shift to a sword, and ordered the training module to start.

"Mind if I join?"

Keith was ashamed to note that he jumped, turning back to Lance with a scowl to try and cover it up, "Yeah, actually, I do."

Lance shrugged, holding his bayard in one hand, "Well, every time I come in here, you're training. Either I'm training with you or you can leave."

"Then, I'll leave," Keith shot back, his bayard reverting back as he made to leave.

"Wait, come on!" Lance frowned, "What's going on?"

Keith raised a brow, "With what exactly?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Keith's jaw clenched, "Who said I was?"

Lance snorted, "Really? Come on."

Keith shook his head, "I'm not avoiding you. Whatever you're imagining, you're wrong."

Lance folded his arms over his chest and frowned, "So, you're not avoiding me." It was more a statement than a question.

"Exactly."

"Okay, I'll pretend I believe that if you train with me."

"Or you could move out of the way," Keith replied.

"Do you really hate me that much?" Lance snapped, "I get that we fight a lot, but something's different, man, and I don't get it!"

Keith didn't even react. He just leapt on the first opportunity he had to make this even a little easier on him, "Yeah. I do. Move."

Hurt flashed across Lance's face. He stiffened and stared Keith down for a brief moment, then he turned, "Room's yours." He walked off, and Keith took a steadying breath before turning back to the room and instructing it to start a training sequence. His hands shook, and he came dangerously close to injury a few times, but he didn't dare stop. Otherwise, the blurry edges of the world might actually turn into tears, and Keith wasn't ready to admit he was crying just yet.

 

If Keith had called his life hell before, he found the term was quickly redefined after his confrontation with Lance. Lance was silent and moody, which bothered Keith on a deep level. On top of that, everyone seemed to know the root of the problem was Keith, so everyone else was mad at him, too. Shiro tried asking what was wrong, but Keith stubbornly refused to talk about it.

The team went through a series of training exercises later that day. They worked well enough together for the most part, but Keith and Lance were obvious exceptions. It finally got to the point that Allura shut the simulator down mid-battle.

"Everyone but Lance and Keith, please leave the room." Her tone was cold and authoritative. Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge left quickly, Pidge throwing them an irritated look.

Keith resolutely looked anywhere but Lance.

"Resume training sequence," she ordered after the team left.

The defeat that followed was painfully humiliating. The worst part was that Allura hadn't set the simulator to stop if one of them was hit. Keith could feel the small shock of shots from all sides. He tried to shield Lance while Lance tried to shoot at their enemies, but neither communicated well enough to coordinate their efforts, and they ended up metaphorically riddled with holes.

Allura mercifully ended the training after five minutes. She frowned, "This is unacceptable. I don't know what's happened, but you two are worse than ever. Can I trust you two to fix it or will I need to step in?"

Keith was silent, and Lance stubbornly refused to answer.

After a pause, Allura spoke up again, "Call me when you've made up your minds."

The simulation resumed, and Keith hurriedly attacked, Lance joining him with a frustrated growl. They lost track of how long the battle lasted. Lance finally collapsed to a knee, huffing out, "Allura, _please_."

The simulation stopped in an instant.

"I just need time, okay?" Lance said between gulps of air.

"With Zarkon seeking us, time is not on our side."

Keith scowled, breathing hard, "Look, just give us five minutes alone. I'll fix this."

Lance shot him a frigid glare as if to ask how he could possibly manage that, but Allura agreed and left the control room.

Keith took a steadying breath and sat next to Lance, "I need you to do something for me."

"What?" Lance could hardly believe the spiteful tone came from his lips.

Based on the way Keith reacted, neither could he. He inched away from Lance and sighed, pulse racing, "Just... I'm gonna ask you something, and you just need to say no. Okay?"

"I'm not promising anything."

Keith didn't look up from very carefully inspecting his bayard, "Don't worry, it'll be easy."

"Just ask it." Lance sounded more tired than someone his age had a right to sound.

"Do you like me?"

Keith could see how Lance froze from the corner of his eye, but Keith didn't so much as turn his head. He hardly moved. His chest rose and fell, and his heart was certainly pounding, but even his trembling fingers stilled as he felt Lance's eyes on him. "What?" Lance asked softly.

"Just say no, Lance."

"Did you just ask if I like you?" Lance almost sounded offended

"All you have to do is say no." Keith's voice was soft as he said it.

"After you told me you _hate_ me?!" Lance asked, incredulous.

"Obviously, I _don't_ , stupid." Keith's fists clenched as he shouted, "I love you, and I need you to reject me so I can move on."

"No."

Keith released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and he felt a lance of pain shoot through his heart. He'd asked for this. He'd wanted a rejection. He knew it would be easier. Still, it hurt like hell. He nodded, "See, that wasn't so ha-"

"No, I'm not _rejecting_ you. We're talking about this." Lance moved in front of him, folding his arms over his chest, "You can't just spring this on me after you treat me like crap."

Keith slid back, wary, "What?" His eyes darted towards the exit, unconsciously plotting a hasty retreat.

"Hey," Lance quickly recaptured his attention, "Stop. You don't get to run away from this! You _started_ this, Keith!"

" _I_ started this?" Keith finally allowed his anger to take over. It was easier than letting hurt run the show. " _You're_ the one who's always pushing me and trying to get a rise out of me. _I'm_ not the one who said we were rivals. And I'm _definitely_ not the one who's always bragging about how hot I am."

Lance stared at him like he was a complete idiot, "Keith, are you even _listening_ to yourself?"

It took a painfully long moment for Keith to realize what he meant. Because, when he put it like that, Keith suddenly realized what should have been obvious, "Wait, do you _like_ me?"

Lance rolled his eyes, blushing slightly, "I _did_."

"Are you saying you don't?" Keith could hardly keep up with all of this new information.

"Look, last night, when I asked if you hated me, you said yes and told me to move."

"Because I couldn't stand being in the room with you!"

Lance threw his hands up in frustration, "You know, you're sending some pretty mixed messages here!"

"Because it _hurt_." Keith hissed, "Being around you _hurts_. I was so sure you didn't feel the same way and-"

"Who told you _that_?!"

Keith grimaced, "No one!"

"Then, why did you think I'd turn you down?" Lanced asked, clearly irritated.

"Because I didn't think you were into guys, for one." Keith answered as calmly as he could manage, "After all, you flirt with every girl we meet."

Lance ran a hand through his hair, "I... Yeah, I can see why that might have been confusing." He frowned, "But, why didn't you just talk to me?"

Keith shook his head, "I'm not really the talking type."

Lance sighed, "Yeah, I noticed, Mr. Brood and Angst. We'll work on it."

"We?" Keith raised a brow.

"If you want to," Lance shrugged, "I've never dated a guy before. Never had the courage. But, we could give it a shot."

Keith stopped breathing, just staring for a long moment as he slowly allowed himself to believe this might be real, "You're serious?"

"I wouldn't joke about this." Lance looked uncharacteristically serious. No, Keith realized. Lance looked perfectly serious. As much as Lance joked and boasted, Keith of all people should realize he knew how to treat a situation like this.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Lance huffed, "That's all I get?"

Keith shook his head, "What, you want me to recite poetry?"

"That would be really nice, actually," Lance replied, clearly teasing. Unfortunately for him, Keith took that as a challenge.

"Fine," Keith smirked, "Roses are red. Violets are blue."

"Oh, that's just-" Lance grumbled.

"I'm glad you like me, cause I really love you." Keith finished with a smile that just might have been more hopeful than he would have liked.

Lance's jaw snapped shut, and he stared for a moment, then he snickered, and Keith grinned right back. The team returned to find the two leaning against each other and holding their stomachs as they laughed together.

Lance's smile was perhaps the most beautiful thing Keith could imagine in that moment. This time, Keith was sure Lance's skin glowed like some ethereal being. Keith had never imagined that he would be here, resting his head on Lance's shoulder and grinning like an idiot. He'd never imagined this could actually end well. He'd never pictured a happy ending or at least a happy beginning. He'd never considered that maybe, just maybe he was wrong about Lance after all, because being around Lance was all joy and light and warmth. Just being around Lance was heaven.


End file.
